The Los Angeles Dodgers recently added Chad Wallach as organizational depth but the catcher has now been claimed off waivers by the L.A. Angels. He was optioned by the Angels to Triple-A Salt Lake.
When the Dodgers acquired Wallach it was via waiver claim from the Miami Marlins. He was assigned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill a void that was created when the Dodgers included Keibert Ruiz in their trade with the Washington Nationals.
Tim Federowicz, who often has been the backup catcher for OKC, was with Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics. Wallach only wound up appearing in one game with Oklahoma City.
Wallach had been designated for assignment by the Marlins as a corresponding roster move to activating Brian Anderson off the 60-day injured list. Wallach spent the past four seasons with Miami, batting .207/.271/.303 with nine doubles, three home runs and 20 RBI in just 71 games.
Prior to claiming him from the Marlins, the Dodgers already had multiple ties to Wallach. His father Tim played four seasons with the team and also was part of former manager Don Mattingly’s staff, including two years as bench coach.
Tim Wallach followed Mattingly to Miami but was not retained after the 2019 season.
The Dodgers selected Chad out of high school in the 43rd round of the 2010 MLB Draft but he elected to attend California State University Fullerton rather than sign. Wallach then was taken by the Marlins in the fifth round of the 2013 Draft.
However, the Marlins traded Wallach along with Anthony DeSclafani to the Cincinnati Reds for Mat Latos in December 2014. He went on to make his MLB debut with the Reds in 2017, though only appeared in six games.
Dodgers making due with Betts
While the Dodgers had inched closer to full health over the past week, they may have taken a step backward on Friday as Mookie Betts was removed in the seventh inning due to right hip irritation.
“I think it’s something that as we look out we’re probably going to have to manage it a lot,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Ideally we wouldn’t. Our reality is it’s something that’s not going to go away.
“Mookie is doing what he can to give us innings out there defensively, give us at-bats, play with a governor on, so we’ve just got to manage him. Fortunately, we’ve got a lot of good players that can help support.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and more!
